Several simulations provided many teams with fine-tune processes, skills and systems to improve care for live patients.

"We do these training exercises so that we're prepared when we encounter complex issues that are high risk but rarely seen," said Becky Damazo, professor of nursing at Chico State and director of the Rural SimCenter.

"It's difficult to exactly replicate real life into simulated situations," saidEliza Anderson, an Enloe Life Flight Nurse. "But this is the best we get in a simulated situation because the mannequins we use are life-like and we get immediate feedback on interventions that we may do."